Kasmaal  Independent Somali news and analysis website .

The Syrian Democratic Forces have been fighting for several months to capture the northern city, which has become infamous as the Syrian heart of ISIL’s so-called “caliphate”. The SDF “are now in control of 50 per cent of Raqqa city despite the fierce resistance mounted by ISIL”, Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory […]

Palestinians rejoice as new restrictions at entrance of holy site, including metal railings, are removed after protests. Israel has removed more security installations from the entrance to al-Aqsa Mosquecompound in occupied East Jerusalem after protests and deadly unrest in recent days. Newly installed railings, gates and scaffolding where cameras were previously mounted were removed from the entrance to […]

The essence of the new anti-Russian sanctions awaiting Donald Trump’s approval is to block the joint EU-Russian Nordstream II pipeline project and to tie Trump’s hands in building trade relationship with Moscow, Virginia State Senator Richard Black told RT. Black said he believes that in pushing for Russia sanctions, Congress is attempting to use a […]

President Hassan Rouhani denounced the US House of Representatives’ approval of a draft law on fresh sanctions against Iran, saying the Islamic Republic will “definitely” give a proportionate response to the hostile move. Speaking during the cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, Rouhani said, the Iranian Parliament would adopt reciprocal measures in response to the […]

Gunmen ambushed an oil exploration team that was carrying out research near Maiduguri in Borno State, northeast Nigeria. At least 10 military personnel have been killed after gunmen who are believed to be part of the Boko Haram armed group ambushed an oil exploration convoy in northeast Nigeria, officials said. At least 10 members of the research team were also […]

Yemen President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi praised the national army’s victory for achieving full control over Khalid ibn al-Walid strategic camp west of Taiz, Yemen News Agency reported on Wednesday. The control of Khalid camp came after a violent attack, supported by intensive air raids led by Saudi Arabia and with the participation of Apache helicopters. […]

Libya’s UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj has appealed to Italy to send ships into Libyan territorial waters to help combat human trafficking, Rome said on Wednesday. Sarraj “sent a letter requesting the Italian government provide the technical support of Italian naval units in the joint struggle in Libyan waters against human traffickers,” Italian Prime Minister […]

US President Donald Trump says transgender people cannot serve in “any capacity” in the military. He tweeted that he had consulted with military experts and cited “tremendous medical costs and disruption”. The Obama administration decided last year to allow transgender people to serve openly in the military. But in June, Defence Secretary James Mattis agreed to […]

Security reinforcements were sent to the Lebanese Christian town of Al-Qaa after reports that gunmen may have entered. A number of suicide bombers attacked the Lebanese Christian village last year killing a number of people and wounding dozens more. ISIS was responsible for the bombings in the village of Qaa on Lebanon’s border with Syria […]

As storms continue to batter much of the country on Wednesday, one woman has gone missing, one town has raised the official disaster alert, and another town is considering partial evacuation due to the weather. A 69-year-old woman in Wernigerode, Saxony-Anhalt has disappeared amid heavy rains near a river by her home, police reported on […]